Rajmata Gayatri Devi
The Jaipur Polo Match was a big draw and impressive with its colour, magnificence and royal aura. I was to see my first, first lady of Jaipur in an elegant chiffon saree, with a dull silver border elegantly draped around her. Her hair was dressed very much in the style of the 60s – formally coiffed, and back combed from perhaps her personal dresser. More than the fashioning of her clothes there was a demeanour that really impressed. It perhaps had to do with a royal upbringing, an equestrian training, long hours of swimming and a posture which personified that rarest of qualities. I later was to become a friend. I was graciously hosted by her at her Lily Pool residence for several years while I was writing my book The Costumes and Textiles of Royal India. It was a hard book to research as it meant gleaning information from the people who I interviewed and photographed for the book. Fashion and clothes are very intimate things, especially if you request to see older costumes in storage. It brings back a lot of memories, of passage of time, of religious rites and marriages and births. In the early 90s when I got to know Rajmata Gayatri Devi, she was a widow. There was a tenacity within her which reflected the wide experiences she had had. Some happy, but unfortunately many more that were sad, including her husband’s death on the polo field. Rajmata Gayatri Devi was the daughter of Indira Devi and Maharaja Jitendra Narain of Cooch Behar. I took this picture of hers (alongside) with her mother’s portrait and this was the caption – For this portrait the Rajmata is dressed in a pastel printed chiffon saree stitched with a woven cream and gold border, tied in the contemprory style. Reputed to be one of the most beautiful women of her time, she epitomises the elegance associated with Indian Maharanis of the early 20th century. Ayesha to her friends, Gayatri Devi was a product of a refined culture, elitist yet very close to her roots with an enormous patriotism. A woman who has perhaps witnessed the most amazingly dramatic events of the last century where palaces were converted to hotels, privy purses and titles abolished and saw the slow but sure decline of everything she held dear. She came through it all with an elegance which one of India’s most beautiful aristocracy could only have. RITU KUMAR (The writer is a designer and a friend of the Late Rajmata)
Privy Purse in IndiaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaIn India, the Privy Purse was a payment made to the royal families of erstwhile princely states as part of their agreements to first integrate with India in 1947, and later to merge their states in 1949 whereby they lost all ruling rights. The Privy Purse was continued to the royal families until the Constitutional Amendment of 1971, implemented after a two year legal battle, was passed by which all their privileges and allowances from the Central Government ceased to exist. In some individual cases however privy purses were continued for life for individuals who had held ruling powers before 1947[1].
[edit] HistoryWhen Britain ceded its paramountcy over British India (including the modern states of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh), a large portion of the subcontinent was held by rulers whose position and status within the British Raj varied. There were in 1947 more than 565 such princely states in India whose position and relation with the Paramount Power was determined by separate treaties. A system of Gun salutes also determined the importance of each state. On the eve of independence, most of these states had signed the Instrument of Accession with either India or Pakistan. Only certain states pressed for claims of complete independence after the British left India. However, due to the diplomacy of Vallabhbhai Patel and VP Menon, Travancore, Bhopal and Jodhpur signed the Instruments of Accession before 15th August, 1947. Even after independence three states vacillated, namely Kashmir, Junagadh and Hyderabad which were integrated later. The Instruments of Accession needed the states to only cede defense, communications and foreign relations to India. Democratic institutions were introduced in these states and it was only in 1949 that they were fully merged with India to form new states. Thus Travancore and Cochin merged into India and formed the new state of Thiru-Kochi. Although in 1947 the royal families had been allowed to retain large sums of money as their Privy Purse, in 1949 with the states and its revenues being entirely taken over by the Government of India, it was the Indian Government that provided the rulers and their families with Privy Purses that were determined by several factors such as revenue of the state, gun salute enjoyed, antiquity of the dynasty and so on [2]. Dewan Jarmani Dass of Kapurthala says:
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Thus the rulers surrendered their sovereignty and as a quid pro quo they were granted handsome Privy Purses and other privileges |
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[edit] The Princely States Receiving Privy PursesAs stated above, the Privy Purses were determined by several factors. Minor feudatories of the erstwhile princely states received whatever little allowances the princely governments had been providing them. For the 565 princely states, Privy Purses ranged from Rs. 5000/- per annum to amounts in millions. Only 6 of the most important states in India were provided with Privy Purses above Rs. 10,00,000/-. These states were Hyderabad, Mysore, Travancore, Baroda, Jaipur and Patiala. For several rulers, the agreements provided for a reduction in the Privy Purse for successors. For certain other states, while certain amounts were guaranteed for the time being, it was liable to be reduced soon after. Thus Hyderabad which received initially a Privy Purse of Rs. 42,85,714/- was a few years later guaranteed a Rs. 20,00,000/- purse. The Government of India also generally reduced the allowances with every succession in the family[3].
[edit] AbolitionThe motion to abolish Privy Purses, and the official recognition of the titles, was originally brought before the Parliament in 1969 and was defeated by one vote. It was again proposed in 1971 by then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi and was successfully passed as the 26th Amendement to the Constitution of India in 1971.[4]. Indira Gandhi argued the case for abolition based on equal rights for all citizens and the need to reduce the government's revenue deficit. Many erstwhile royals tried to protest the abolition of the Privy Purse, primarily through campaigns to contest seats in the Lok Sabha elections of 1971. They, however, received a rude shock when many of them were defeated by huge margins. This included Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the last and former Nawab of Pataudi, who contested from Gurgaon. Mansoor contested as a candidate for the Vishal Haryana Party, but received barely 5% of the vote in a two-way contest.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ HH Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayis allowance was reinstated after a prolonged legal battle. "At the turn of the Tide, the Life and Times of Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bayi, the Last Queen of Travancore" by Dr. Lakshmi Raghunandan
- ^ "Maharaja" by Jarmani Dass
- ^ "Maharaja" by Jarmani Dass, page 424-435
- ^ The 26th amendment of the Indian constitution [1]
- ^ Cricketers in Politics
[edit] External links
Queen of charm is no more |
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Gayatri Devi in 1967. (AP) |
Gayatri Devi, the princess who evoked memories of a charmed era and whose beauty was celebrated across the world, died in Jaipur on Wednesday. She was 90.
Actress Moon Moon Sen, who is married to Gayatri Devi’s nephew Bharat Dev Burman, shared a close relationship with the Rajmata who traced her roots to the Cooch Behar royal family. The Sen family recalls their association with Gayatri Devi.
Moon Moon Sen
Mashima (Gayatri Devi) had led the borjatri (the groom’s family) at our wedding…. I have learnt grooming tricks from another beautiful lady — my mother (Suchitra Sen). But Mashima taught me that real beauty doesn’t need make-up or designer clothes or accessories. Mashima hated make-up. She just carried a lipstick, a compact powder and a comb.
We have led a wonderful glamorous life through Mashima. We have met so many interesting people who were all her friends. And yet Mashima was so proud to be a Cooch Behari. She would always speak in Bengali when she was with us. And she would tell me, ‘Moon Moon, tumi amay pronam korbe (You must touch my feet).’ She would always say, ‘Ami Bangali’….
She was extremely well read, too. I remember the evenings when I would be looking after the babies and she would discuss everything under the sun, from literature to politics.
Bharat Dev Burman
whose mother Ila and Gayatri Devi were sisters
I would stay with her in Jaipur during summer since I was a child. I have also stayed with her in London, where she introduced me to Queen Elizabeth. She would take us to all the great parties and she always made sure that her nephews and nieces met everyone.
Mashima was a great polo enthusiast. She would come down to Calcutta for polo matches during winter and stay with me…. She was very international but at the same time very family-oriented.
Whenever she was in Calcutta, she would make it a point to meet all her cousins and aunts. Though she was the Rajmata of Jaipur, she was a Bengali at heart. She loved Calcutta so much. She would go to the Cooch Behar palace every year. She so wanted to do up the palace. I met her last this March in Jaipur. She has died quite peacefully. I think she was the greatest of the Indian Maharanis.
Raima Sen
Gayatri Devi and my grandmother (Suchitra Sen) met for the first time during my parents’ wedding. It was Gayatri Devi who came to my grandmother with my father’s rishta as his mother had died when he was very young…. My grandmother always found Gayatri Devi gorgeous!
She admired her a lot. Gayatri Devi, apart from my grandmother, is the most beautiful and dignified lady I have ever met
Riya Sen
Gayatri Devi had a fantastic sense of humour that cannot be matched. When we were small, she would attend our family dinners and spend more time with us than with the grown-ups. She loved my dad and they shared a lovely rapport. It’s a great loss for our family. |
(AS TOLD TO RESHMI SENGUPTA AND KUSHALI NAG) |
Gayatri Devi - the grand queen mother or rajmata of the Jaipur royal family who was listed as one of the most beautiful women in the world by Vogue. |
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Rajmata Gayatri Devi, who died on July 29 aged 90, was an Indian princess of renowned beauty whose life encapsulated the glamour and romance of the Raj. Her death on Wednesday, barely two months after her 90th birthday on May 23, came after complications caused by an intestinal endoscopy that she underwent two months ago. She died in a Jaipur hospital.
A pall of gloom descended on Cooch Behar following the news of the death of Rajmata Gayatri Devi today. Bengal mourns the queen`s DEMISE as she has been known a Pure Bengali by heart. Bengali media published and broacasted fond memories of the Rajmata. She was the Patron of rajasthani folk but never did forget her roots!
Famous Folk Singer rooted in Cooch Behar, ABBASUDDIN who is responsible to internationalise Bengali Riverine folk song, used to sing:
BAGA FANDE Porya KANDE RE..
The Bird was Entrapped and was weeping!
Though the queen is known for her Pleasant presence and beauty, ABBASUDDIN may be quoted to express the Painful life of the Queen!
I had never the Opportunity to have a Glimpse of the Beautiful lady but we always did feel her pleasing Presence. While she retired from politics, I had been a teen ager and student in DSB college Nainital. We had no TV. Only Mufassil newspaer editions would reach the Hill town after ten AM from Lucknow and New Delhi! The Queen was the Heart Throb of Non Congress Politics in India until she was sent to Tihar by Mrs Indira Gandhi. Since our generation fought against the EMERGENCY, we may not forget the Rajmata!
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Gayatri, the youngest child of Maharaja Jitendra Narayan, was the last member of the royal family here and had last visited Cooch Behar about five years ago.
Her siblings - brothers Prince Victor Nritendra Narayan and Hitendra Narayan and sister Ila Devi, who was married off to the Tripura royal family, had predeceased her.
"The people of Cooch Behar will miss her. She was maa to the people of Cooch Behar...It is sad to think she will not visit the temple of Madan Mohan (the presiding deity of the town), participate in the Raas Mela or visit the palace," said Amiyo Kumar Deb Bakshi, the 'dwarbakshi' of Cooch Behar royal family.
She took interest in social activities, built an exclusive school for girls in Jaipur and promoted the traditional blue pottery of Rajasthan. She spent the last three decades of her life after her husband's death in 1970 at the picturesque Lilypool, a bungalow that she built with her husband at Rambagh Palace. Lilypool resembled a simple and warm Bengali home from Cooch Behar staffed by people from her home state, West Bengal. The staff spoke Bengali and would entertain visitors with water and lemonade even in her absence.
The feisty princess Ayesha, daughter of the erstwhile maharaja of Cooch Behar, shot her first panther at the age of 13, stunning everyone.
Six years later, the beautiful woman who came to be known as Maharani Gayatri Devi stunned her family again by falling in love with prince Sawai Man Singh of Jaipur.
She called him Jai and insisted on marrying him, knowing that he already had two wives and that her own family was against the match. Gayatri Devi - the grand queen mother or rajmata of the Jaipur royal family who was listed as one of the most beautiful women in the world by Vogue - remained spirited till the end of her colourful life. Gayatri Devi, who was maharani of Jaipur state from 1939 to 1970, was an excellent marksman, a tennis player and a keen rider, with a deep knowledge of horses. She was attached to all her children, fond of flowers like lilies and gladioli and birds.
Rajmata Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, who recently underwent intestinal endoscopy, has died at the age of 90. Gayatri Devi, the elegant former princess of Cooch Behar who became the maharani of Jaipur, was once considered among the world's most beautiful...
People in Cooch Behar mourn demise of Gayatri Devi!Known to her friends as "Ayesha", she caused a minor sensation in India when, in 1940, she married for love rather than by parental decree, to become the third wife of the dashing Maharaja of Jaipur.
Offices and schools remained shut in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district on Thursday to pay homage to Gayatri Devi, the erstwhile maharani of Jaipur.
Thousands of people paid homage to Jaipur royal Rajmata Gayatri Devi, who died yesterday, at her maternal palace here.
Mourners thronged into the durbar hall of the century-old royal palace here where a life-size portrait of Cooch Behar princess was kept.
The main gate of the palace, a heritage building, was kept open since morning with mourners placing wreaths before the portrait of Gayatri Devi who last visited Cooch Behar in 2005.
The state government declared a holiday in this north Bengal town today as a mark of respect to the Jaipur royal who died in Jaipur yesterday at the age of 90.
All state government offices, educational institutions and markets remained closed.
A memorial meeting was organised at the Madan Mohanbari temple under the auspices of the Devottar Trust Board. Special prayers were also held.
Gayatri Devi, the youngest child of Maharaja Jitendra Narayan, was the last member of the royal family.
Her siblings, Prince Victor Nritendra Narayan and Hitendra Narayan and Ila Devi, who was married off to the Tripura royal family, had predeceased her.
Rajmata Gayatri Devi was the last of the Queens of Jaipur in Rajasthan. Gayatri Devi was the daughter of Maharaja Jitendra Narayan and Haharani Indirea Devi of the "Koch" dynasty of Coch Behar, She was born on the 23rd May 1919. After schooling in India she finished her education in Switzerland and London.
At the age of 19 she fell in love with Man Singh, the heir to the Jaipur throne. Their marriage was initially opposed by her parents, as Man Singh already had two wives, the daughters of the Maharaja of Jodhpur. However, her parents gave in to her determination, and she was married to Man Singh in 1939. The Jaipur Royal family lived in lavish style and were visited by presidents, movie stars and other Royalty.
Gayatri Devi was listed by Vogue as one of the world's most beautiful women and is still the favourite of society columnists and the world's photographers. The Rajmata pioneered the education of girls in Jaipur.
When Gayatri Devi was 12 she fell for the most glamorous young man in India, the Maharaja of Jaipur, then 21 years old. He was not only exceedingly rich and handsome but also a nine-handicap polo player, leading his Jaipur polo team to victory in every tournament they entered. Maharaja Man Singh already had two wives, both married for reasons of state, but this did not prevent him from becoming captivated by this beautiful and spirited tomboy princess who was quite unlike the more orthodox Rajput ladies whom he knew. When Gayatri Devi was sent to the Monkey Club finishing school in Knightsbridge, they met secretly and became unofficially engaged. Their romance aroused opposition on all sides, and when in 1939 they let it be known that they intended to marry, there was consternation in princely circles. In the Cooch Behar family, it was feared that Gayatri Devi was condemning herself to a life in purdah in a feudal state that would destroy her lively personality In the event, the marriage was a great success. The third Maharani of Jaipur accepted her role as the Maharaja's favourite but junior wife with good grace. She adjusted to the formality and restrictions of life in a Rajput royal zanana, but at the same time used her authority to bring the palace women forward into the 20th century. The coming of the war helped to speed up this process of emancipation. The Maharani organised various forms of war-work, and in 1943 opened the Gayatri Devi School for Girls with 40 students and an English teacher. It became known as one of the finest schools in India. Following Independence in 1947, Jaipur was merged with 18 other princely states to form Rajasthan State, with Jaipur City as its capital. Although Maharaja Man Singh was appointed State Governor, it soon became apparent that all power lay with the ruling Congress Party. Concern at what they judged to be misrule and abuse of power drew an ever-increasing number of former rulers or members of their circle into politics in opposition to the Congress Party. Many joined the Swatantra Party, among them Maharani Gayatri Devi.
In 1962 she entered politics in her state and won the largest ever electoral victory, for which she still holds the Guiness record. She won the seat again in 1967 and 1971 for the Swatantra Party, running against the ruling Congress Party.
In 1971 the Privy Purse and all royal privileges were abolished in India. Gayatri Devi was accused of breaking tax laws and served 5 months in Tihar Jail which she bore with great dignity.
In 1967 the Maharani again stood for election in her home constituency and again won her seat; but when the opposition parties in Rajasthan attempted to form a state government, presidential rule was proclaimed, leading eventually to a return of a Congress government. In the same year the Congress Party adopted a resolution to abolish the princes' privy purses and privileges that had been granted to them in exchange for their voluntary surrender of their states. In May 1970 the government introduced a bill to abolish the princely order, and the Maharaja and Maharani flew to England. A month later Man Singh collapsed and died while umpiring a polo match in Cirencester. Colonel Bhawani Singh, Maharaja Man Singh's eldest son by his first wife, was proclaimed Maharaja and the widowed Gayatri Devi became Rajmata, or Queen Mother. Although still in mourning, Rajmata Gayatri Devi was persuaded to stand for parliament for a third term in 1971, and in the same year witnessed the passing of the bill that finally derecognised the princely order. This rewriting of the constitution signalled a new and ugly phase in Indian politics that the Rajmata and her stepson experienced at first hand when, in July 1975, both were arrested and incarcerated in Tihar Jail. This was the start of the State of Emergency period when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi suspended all laws and made mass arrests on the ground that the security of the state was under threat. No serious charges were ever laid against either the Rajmata or Col Bhawani Singh. After nearly six months' imprisonment in humiliating conditions, Gayatri Devi's spirit remained as strong as ever but her health began to break down. She was taken to hospital and eventually released on parole, on certain conditions that remained in force until Mrs Gandhi called an election in 1977 which saw her temporarily bundled out of office. Rajmata Gayatri Devi's two decades of widowhood were not spent in seclusion, as might have been expected of the widow of a Rajput ruler. She and her husband had shared a great zest for sport and entertainment and, to the indignation of the traditionalists, the Rajmata continued to live life to the full.
She retired from politics after that experience, and published her autobiography "A Princess Remembers" in 1976.
She was also the focus of a film called "Memoirs of a Hindu Princess", directed by Francois Levie.
The Rajmata leant elephant riding at a young age and is passionate about the welfare of Indian elephants. She is a patron of elephant family charity.
Cooch Behar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaCoordinates:  26°19′27″N 89°27′04″E / 26.32419°N 89.45103°E / 26.32419; 89.45103 Cooch Behar (IPA: [kotʃbihaɹ]; Bengali: কোচবিহার, Kochbihar [?]) is the district headquarters and the largest town of Cooch Behar District in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas and located at 26°22′N 89°29′E / 26.367°N 89.483°E / 26.367; 89.483. Cooch Behar is the only planned town in North Bengal region with remnants of royal heritage.[1] One of the main tourist destinations in West Bengal, the town is well-known for the Cooch Behar Palace and Madan Mohan Bari and has been declared a heritage town.[2] During the British Raj, the town of Cooch Behar was the seat of the princely state of Koch Bihar, ruled by the Koch dynasty. After 20 August 1949, Cooch Behar District was transformed from a princely state to its present status, with the town of Cooch Behar as its headquarters.[3]
[edit] EtymologyThe name Cooch-Behar is derived from the name of the Koch tribes (the Rajbongshi or Rajbanshi or Koch Rajbongshi) indigenous to this region for many centuries.[4] The word Behar is the Sanskrit word bihar (to travel), which means the land through which the Koch kings used to roam.
[edit] History Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan The princely state known during British rule as Cooch Behar had been part of the Kamarupa Kingdom from the 4th century to the 12th century. In the 12th century, the area became a part of the Kamata Kingdom, first ruled by the Khen dynasty from their capital at Kamatapur. The Khens were an indigenous tribe, and they ruled till about 1498 CE, when they fell to Alauddin Hussein Shah, the independent Pathan Sultan of Gour. The new invaders fought with the local Bhuyan chieftains and the Ahom king Suhungmung and lost control of the region. During this time, the Koch tribe became very powerful and proclaimed itself Kamateshwar (Lord of Kamata) and established the Koch dynasty. The first important Koch ruler was Biswa Singha, who came to power in 1510 or 1530 CE.[5] Under his son, Nara Narayan, the Kamata Kingdom reached its zenith.[6] Nara Narayan's younger brother, Shukladhwaj (Chilarai), was a noted military general who undertook expeditions to expand the kingdom, and he became governor of its eastern portion. After Chilarai's death, his son Raghudev became governor of this eastern portion. Since Nara Narayan did not have a son, Raghudev was seen as the heir apparent. However, a late child of Nara Narayan removed Raghudev's claim to the throne. To placate him, Nara Narayan had to anoint Raghudev as a vassal chief of the portion of the kingdom east of the Subansiri river. This area came to be known as Koch Hajo. After the death of Nara Narayan in 1584, Raghudev declared independence, and the kingdom ruled by the son of Nara Narayan, Lakshmi Narayan, came to be known as Cooch Behar. The division of the Kamata Kingdom into Cooch Behar and Koch Hajo was permanent. The early capital of Koch Kingdom (Cooch Behar) was not static and became stable only when shifted to Cooch Behar town. Maharaja Rup Narayan, on the advice of an unknown saint, transferred the capital from Attharokotha to Guriahati (now called Cooch Behar town) on the banks of the Torsa river between 1693 and 1714. After this, the capital was always in or near its present location. In 1661 CE, Maharaja Pran Narayan planned to expand his kingdom. However, Mir Jumla, the subedar of Bengal under the Mughal emperor Aurangazeb, attacked Cooch Behar and conquered the territory, meeting almost no resistance.[7] The town of Cooch Behar was subsequently named Alamgirnagar.[8] However, Maharaja Pran Narayan regained his kingdom within a few days. During 1772–1773, the king of Bhutan attacked and captured Cooch Behar. To expel the Bhutanese, the kingdom of Cooch Behar signed a treaty with the British East India Company on 5 April 1773, and the king of Cooch Behar became a feudal ruler under the British.[9] The famous Victor Jubilee Palace, a landmark in the city, was designed on the lines of Buckingham Palace of London, in 1887, during the reign of Maharaja Nripendra Narayan.[8] In 1878, the maharaja married the daughter of Brahmo preacher Keshab Chandra Sen, and this union led to a renaissance in Cooch Behar state.[10] Maharaja Nripendra Narayan is known as the architect of modern Cooch Behar town.[11] Under an agreement between the kings of Cooch Behar and the Indian Government at the end of British rule, Maharaja Jagaddipendra Narayan transferred full authority, jurisdiction and power of the state to the Dominion Government of India, effective 12 September 1949.[3] Cooch Behar District became part of the state of West Bengal on 19 January 1950, with Cooch Behar town as its headquarters.[3]
[edit] Geography Torsa River near Cooch Behar Cooch Behar is situated in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas, located at 26°22′N 89°29′E / 26.367°N 89.483°E / 26.367; 89.483 in the north of West Bengal. It is the largest town and district headquarters of Cooch Behar District with an area of 8.29 km².[12] The Torsa river flows by the western side of town. Heavy rains in the area often cause strong river currents and flooding. The turbulent water carries huge amounts of sand, silt, and pebbles, which have an adverse effect on crop production as well as on the hydrology of the region.[13] Alluvial deposits form the soil, which is acidic.[13] Soil depth varies from 15 cm to 50 cm, superimposed on a bed of sand. The foundation materials are igneous and metamorphic rocks at a depth 1000 m to 1500 m. The soil has low levels of nitrogen with moderate levels of potassium and phosphorus. Deficiencies of boron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and sulphur are high.[13] The town of Cooch Behar and its surrounding regions face deforestation due to increasing demand for fuel and timber, as well as air pollution from increasing vehicular traffic. The local flora include palms, bamboos, creepers, ferns, orchids, aquatic plants, fungi, timber, grass, vegetables, and fruit trees. Migratory birds, along with many local species, are found in the city, especially around the Sagardighi and other water bodies.[14]
[edit] ClimateFive distinct seasons (summer, monsoons, autumn, winter and spring) can be observed in Cooch Behar, of which summer, monsoons and winter are more prominent. Cooch Behar has a moderate climate characterised by heavy rainfall during the monsoons and slight rainfall from October to mid-November.[13] The district does not have high temperatures at any time of the year. The summer season is from April, the hottest month, to May. During the summer season, the mean daily maximum temperature is 32.5°C, and the mean daily minimum is 20.2 °C.[15] The winter season lasts from the end of November to February; January is the coldest, when temperature ranges between 10.4 °C and 24.1 °C.[15] The lowest and highest temperatures recorded have been 3.9 °C and 39.9 °C respectively.[citation needed] The atmosphere is highly humid throughout the year except from February to May, when relative humidity is around 50 to 70 percent. The rainy season lasts from June to September. Average annual rainfall in the district is 3,201 mm.[15] However, the climate has undergone a drastic change in the past few years, with the mercury rising and the rainfall decreasing each year.[16]
[edit] Economy Most of the government offices are situated in the Sagardighi area The central and state governments are the largest employers in Cooch Behar town.[citation needed]. Cooch Behar is home to a number of district-level and divisional-level offices and has a large government-employee workforce. Business is mainly centred on retail goods; the main centres lie on B.S. Road, Rupnarayan Road,Keshab Road and at Bhawaniganj Bazar. An industrial park has been built at Chakchaka, just four kilometres from town, on the route to Tufanganj. A number of small companies such as Poddar Food Products Pvt., Ltd, and Deepa Casing Pvt., Ltd have set up industries there.[17] Farming is a major source of livelihood for the nearby rural populace, and it supplies the town with fruits and vegetables. Poorer sections of this semi-rural society are involved in transport, basic agriculture, small shops and manual labour in construction. As the town is near the international border, the Border Security Force (B.S.F.) maintains a large presence in the vicinity of Cooch Behar. This gives rise to a large population of semi-permanent residents, who bring revenue to the local economy. The state government is trying to promote Cooch Behar as a tourist destination, though income from tourism is low.[18]
[edit] Civic administration The office of the District Magistrate Cooch Behar Municipality is responsible for the civic administration of the town. The municipality consists of a board of councillors, elected from each of the 20 wards[19] of Cooch Behar town as well as a few members nominated by the state government. The board of councillors elects a chairman from among its elected members; the chairman is the executive head of the municipality. The present chairman is Biren Kundu. Currently, the Indian National Congress Party holds power in the municipality. The state government looks after education, health and tourism in the town. The town is within the Cooch Behar (Lok Sabha constituency) and elects one member to the Lok Sabha (the Lower House of the Indian Parliament). The town area is covered by one assembly constituency, Cooch Behar Dakshin that elects one member to the Vidhan Sabha, which is the West Bengal state legislative assembly.[20] Cooch Behar town comes under the jurisdiction of the district police (which is a part of the state police); the Superintendent of Police oversees the town's security and matters pertaining to law and order. Cooch Behar is also home to the District Court.
[edit] Utility servicesCooch Behar is a well-planned town,[21] and the municipality is responsible for providing basic services, such as potable water and town sanitation. The water is supplied by the municipality using its groundwater resources, and almost all the houses in the municipal area are connected through the system. Solid waste is collected every day by the municipality van from individual houses. The surface drains, mostly uncemented, drain into the Torsa River. Electricity is supplied by the West Bengal State Electricity Board, and the West Bengal Fire Service provides emergency services like fire tenders. Most of the roads are metalled (macadam), and street lighting is available throughout the town. The Public Works Department is responsible for road maintenance in the town and on the roads connecting Cooch Behar with other towns in the region. Health services in Cooch Behar include a government-owned District Hospital, a Regional Cancer Centre, and private nursing homes.
[edit] TransportRickshaws are the most widely available public transport within Cooch Behar town. Most of Cooch Behar's residents stay within a few kilometres of the town centre and have their own vehicles, mostly motorcycles and bicycles. The New Cooch Behar railway station is around five kilometres from town and is well connected to almost all major Indian cities. The rail route is one of the important connecting North-East India with remaining parts of the country. All express and Superfast trains going towards North East have a stoppage here. Another station named Cooch Behar situated inside the town exists but only two pairs of local trains run on this route. Cooch Behar is headquarters of the North Bengal State Transport Corporation, which runs regular bus service to places in West Bengal, Assam and Bihar. Private buses are also available. Most buses depart from the Central Bus Terminus near Cooch Behar Rajbari. Hired vehicles are also available from the taxi stand near Transport Chowpathi. Cooch Behar has an airport that, at present, is defunct, but plans are being considered to make it operational soon.[22] At present, the nearest airport is in Bagdogra near Siliguri, about 160 kilometres from Cooch Behar. Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines are the three major carriers that connect the area to Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati.
[edit] DemographicsAs per the 2001 census,[23] the Cooch Behar municipal area has a population of 76,812. The sex ratio is 972 females per 1,000 males. The decadal growth rate for population is 7.86 %. Males constitute 50.6% of the population, and females constitute 49.4%. Cooch Behar has an average literacy rate of 82%, which is higher than the national average of 64.84%. The male literacy rate is 86%, while female literacy rate is 77%. In Cooch Behar, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.[24] The major religion followed is Hinduism, followed by Islam; Christianity and Sikhism. The population's ethnic composition is closely linked with that of Bengal and Assam. Communities that inhabit Cooch Behar include the Bengalis, Gorkha, Marwaris, Biharis and Rajbangsi. Commonly spoken languages include Bengali and Hindi. English and Assameese are understood by most of the people.[15]
[edit] Culture The Ras Chakra during Ras Mela in Madan Mohan Bari Popular festivals in Cooch Behar include, Durga Puja in October, along with Ras Purnima, when a big fair is organised in the town near the famous Madan Mohan Temple.[25] Cooch Behar Ras mela is the oldest in the North Bengal region.[26] Other major festivals celebrated in the region include Pohela Baishakh (Bengali New Year), Rathayatra, Dolyatra or Basanta-Utsab, Diwali, Poush parbon (festival of Poush), Christmas, Eid ul-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha. During Rathayatra, a small fair is organised at Gunjabari area of the town. Cooch Behar has a mixture of cultures, similar to those of West Bengal and Bangladesh. Rice and fish are traditional favorites, leading to a common saying that "fish and rice make a Bengali" (machhe bhate bangali). Meat consumption has increased with higher production in recent years. Bhuna Khicuhri (a dish made of rice and dal) and labra (a fully mixed-vegetable preparation) are quite popular and are served during any religious occasion. As in any part of West Bengal, people of Cooch Behar are known to prepare distinctive confections from milk products; popular ones are Rôshogolla, Chômchôm Kalakand Sandesh Misti Doi and Kalojam. Bengal's vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes various hilsa, ilish preparations (a favorite among Bengalis). Fast foods, such as Paratha (fried bread), egg roll (flatbread roll with vegetable stuffings and egg), and phuchka (deep fried crêpe with tamarind and lentil sauce), are also widely popular. The momo is another popular snack made from vegetable or meat filling, which is steamed and served with a soup. Another popular snack is Ghatigaram, a variety of Jhalmuri (a mixture made out of flattened rice and other spices). Bengali women commonly wear a sari (shaŗi) and the salwar kameez, which are distinctly designed as per local customs. However, Western-style attire is also quite popular, especially amongst youngsters. Men wear traditional costumes such as the kurta with dhoti or pyjama, often on religious occasions. A characteristic feature of Cooch Behar is the Para or neighbourhoods with a strong sense of community attachment. Typically, every para has its own community club with a clubroom and often a playground. People here habitually indulge in adda or leisurely chat, and these adda sessions are often a form of freestyle intellectual conversation. Residents of Cooch Behar are fond of music and generally listen to Rabindra Sangeet, Bangla Bands, Hindi Pop music and the local Bhawaiya Sangeet. The local Bengali dialect, is different from the one spoken in Kolkata. The local dialect is more closer to that of East Bengal and a mix of Assamese and Rajbangsi language. The sole museum in Cooch Behar is located inside the Cooch Behar Palace. It has a variety of photographs and articles used by the maharajas of Cooch Behar and also information about the tribals of North Bengal. The town boasts a well-archived North Bengal State Library. Rabindra Bhawan, an auditorium, is often chosen as the venue for cultural events such as dramas, concerts, poetry-recitals, and dance programs. Temples exist throughout region; the Madan Mohan Temple, Bara Debi Bari and Rajmata Temple are centres of religious and cultural importance.
[edit] LanguageThe people of Cooch Behar/Koch Behar speaks Rajbongshi Language. The Rajbongshi Language had coined different terms and names during the Past centuries from its inception in the ancient Kamarupa Kingdom, the Rajbongshi language is also named or called and known as Desi/Kamatapuri language and it is also known as Goalpariya in Assam, Goalpara is one of the ancient Priencely state ruled by Rajbongshi Kings and the Royal Family are still existing and resided in Assam. It is some times said that Rajbongshi is a part of Assamese culture in Assam and the Scholars also says that it is the Part of Rich Bengali Heritage and culture. If we see this Rajbongshi language we can find some similarities of both Bengali and Assamese language and also Sanskrit, but Rajbongshi people believes that their language is the ancient language in this part of world and it has originated from Sanskrit only.
[edit] Education A.B.N. Seal College Building Cooch Behar's schools are either run by the state government or by private and religious organisations. The schools usually use English and Bengali as their medium of instruction, although the use of national language Hindi is also stressed. The schools are affiliated with the ICSE or the CBSE or the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. Some of the reputed schools in the town include Kendriya Vidyalaya, St. Mary’s H.S. School, B.D. Jain Modern School, Jenkins School, Cooch Behar Rambhola High School, Nipendra Narayan H.S. School, Maharani Indira Devi High School, Uchha Balika Vidhyalaya, and Sunity Academy. There are five[27] colleges and a polytechnic in the Cooch Behar town including A.B.N. Seal College, Cooch Behar College, University B.T. & Evening College, Thakur Panchanan Mahila Mahavidyalaya all of which are affiliated with the University of North Bengal,Siliguri and Cooch Behar Polytechnic (Estd. August 1964) a Government Diploma level Institute with 3 yrs.(10+) Civil, Electrical, Mechanical & Automobile Engineering and 2 yrs.(12+) Pharmacy course under West Bengal State Council of Technical Education,Kolkatta. There is also an Agricultural University, Uttar Banga Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, situated just outside the main town at Pundibari.
Newspapers in Cooch Behar include English language dailies, The Statesman and The Telegraph, which are printed in Siliguri, and The Hindustan Times and the Times of India, which are printed in Kolkata and received after a day's delay. In addition, Hindi and Bengali publications, including Anandabazar Patrika, Bartaman, Ganashakti, Uttar Banga Sambad and Dainik Jagran, are available. The public radio station All India Radio is the only radio channel that can be received in Cooch Behar. However, recently WorldSpace Satellite Radio has started transmission in Cooch Behar. Cooch Behar receives almost all the television channels available in the rest of the country. Apart from the state-owned terrestrial network Doordarshan, cable television serves most of the homes in the town, while satellite television is common in the outlying areas and in wealthier households. Besides mainstream Indian television channels, the town also receives Nepali television channels and Bangladeshi television channels. Cooch Behar has three cinema halls, featuring Hindi, Bengali, and English films. Internet cafés are available in the main market area, connected through broadband, provided by BSNL. The area is serviced by local cell phone companies such as BSNL, Reliance Infocomm, Vodafone, Aircel, Tata Indicom and Airtel.
[edit] SportsLike most other towns in India, Cooch Behar has not been left out in the game of cricket. Cricket is the most popular game followed by football, swimming, badminton, volley ball, kabadi. Cooch Behar has two outdoor stadiums, M.J.N. Stadium and Cooch Behar Stadium, for games such as cricket and football. Cooch Behar also has a new indoor stadium, Netaji Subhas Indoor Stadium. Inter-district and inter-school meets are often held in these stadiums. Swimming is practised under the guidance of trained coaches in the local Sagardighi. The popularity of games changes according to the season - for example, cricket and badminton are played during winter, swimming and water polo in summer and football during the monsoon. Cooch Behar town is one of few district towns in India with three stadiums.
- ^ Coochbehar
- ^ The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Nation
- ^ a b c "Brief Royal History of Cooch Behar 5". http://coochbehar.gov.in/HTMfiles/brief_history.html. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
- ^ Pal, Dr. Nripendra Nath (2000). Itikathai Cooch Behar (A brief history of Cooch Behar). Kolkata: Anima Prakashani. pp. 11–12.
- ^ Royal history of Cooch Behar
- ^ "Royal History of Cooch Behar". http://coochbehar.gov.in/HTMfiles/royal_history.html. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
- ^ Pal, Dr. Nripendra Nath (2000). Itikathai Cooch Behar (A brief history of Cooch Behar). Kolkata: Anima Prakashani. p. 68.
- ^ a b "Royal Banglapedia Kamta-Koch Behar". http://banglapedia.search.com.bd/HT/K_0064.htm. Retrieved on 2006-10-01.
- ^ Pal, Dr. Nripendra Nath (2000). Itikathai Cooch Behar (A brief history of Cooch Behar). Kolkata: Anima Prakashani. p. 73.
- ^ Pal, Dr. Nripendra Nath (2000). Itikathai Cooch Behar (A brief history of Cooch Behar). Kolkata: Anima Prakashani. p. 75.
- ^ "Royal History of Cooch Behar 5". http://coochbehar.gov.in/Htmfiles/history_book5.html. Retrieved on 2006-10-22.
- ^ "West Bengal Census". http://web.cmc.net.in/wbcensus/DataTables/02/Table4_3.htm. Retrieved on 2006-10-01.
- ^ a b c d Annual Plan on Agriculture 2003-04. Cooch Behar: Cooch Behar District Agriculture Office. p. 02.
- ^ "West Bengal Tourism: Cooch Behar". http://www.wbtourism.com/heritage/coochbehar.htm. Retrieved on 2006-11-07.
- ^ a b c d District Profile, Cooch Behar Government website Accessed on October 1, 2006
- ^ Sharma Lakhotia, Anuradha (2006-11-07). "Darjeeling warming up faster than earth". The Telegraph. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1061107/asp/siliguri/story_6968627.asp. Retrieved on 2006-11-07.
- ^ Industries in Cooch Behar, Cooch Behar Government Website Accessed on October 1, 2006
- ^ Tourism Development in Cooch Behar, Cooch Behar Government Website Accessed on October 1, 2006
- ^ District Administration Accessed on October 1, 2006
- ^ "Press Note, Delimitation Commission" (PDF). Assembly Constituencies in West Bengal. Delimitation Commission. p.4,23. http://www.wbgov.com/e-gov/English/DELIMITATION.pdf. Retrieved on 2009-04-18.
- ^ "North Bengal: Cooch Behar". http://www.north-bengal.com/places/coochbehar/. Retrieved on 2006-11-07.
- ^ "More airports for Indian cities, says India's Civil Aviation Minister". Trav Talk. 2006-03-27. http://www.ddppl.in/march%202006/27th%20march/index.htm. Retrieved on 2006-09-29.
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved on 2008-11-01.
- ^ West Bengal Census Accessed on October 1, 2006
- ^ Fairs and Festivals in Cooch Behar Accessed on October 1, 2006
- ^ Cooch Behar Ras mela: The Statesman
- ^ Education in Cooch Behar, Cooch Behar Government Website Accessed on October 1, 2006
[edit] References
I’ve had a happy life, with no regrets: Gayatri Devi
NONA WALIA , TNN 29 July 2009, 07:24pm IST
Rajmata Gayatri Devi's a legend who will live forever. That was her aura. The world's most stylish royal woman always insisted she was ordinary. Yet, she was one of India's most stylish, most independent and most modern of Maharanis. In an exclusive interview just before her death, she said, “I’ve had a very happy life. I have no regrets. I'm not a nostalgic person. I live in the present. I just try to do what I can, when I see unhappiness around me. Why grumble about things that don't go your way. Make the most of life. Don't make me sound arrogant or extraordinary.” Her story was almost fairytale, of how Ayesha metamorphosed into Rajmata Gayatri Devi. She loved talking about her childhood. Her tales were always endless and there was always a lesson in her stories. She talked about the days of innocence as a child in Cooch Behar, the first blush of love, of how she was taught to behave like a Maharani after she married Jai Singh, the Maharaja of Jaipur and the loneliness of losing her family members one after the other. In her crisp English accent, she talked in a matter-of-fact way about her happy childhood days, “When I close my eyes, I recall my happiest days were as a child in Cooch Behar. Those were days of innocence. When I read comics like Tiger Tim and Puck. When I'd go shooting, I would plead with the mahout to let me sit on the neck of the elephant. There I used to lie down, my head between the elephant's ears. At dusk, I would come home riding on my elephant. When I remember this moment, it takes me back to a time when my life was untouched by change and the loss of people dearest to me. I often dream about my childhood days, we had so much fun with my brothers and sisters.” Looking back, how did she overcome the odds in her life? What were the toughest lessons learnt? There was a long silence and she replied. “As time goes by, everything changes. You start seeing things from a different perspective. Really, the toughest thing in life is to live without people you love. It was tough when I had to be on my own after I lost my mother, brother and husband, Jai. But I've had a very happy life. No regrets.” She came from a family, where women were fiercely independent. In fact, in her book, Maharanis: The Extraordinary tale of Four Indian Queens and their journey from Purdah to Parliament, Lucy Moore follows the life stories of three generations of path-breaking maharanis: Chimnabai, (Gayatri Devi's grandmother) who refused to live confined and entered the world of men; her daughter Indira, (Gayatri Devi's mother) who refused to accept an arranged marriage and married for love; and Ayesha, (Gayatri Devi) who moved so far beyond the traditional restrictions that she won a seat in the Indian Parliament. She writes, “These Maharanis and their husbands were cosmopolitan in their tastes and Anglophile in culture.” They had an aura of glamour and even celebrity clung to all three women, Moore says, and their extravagance and adventurism became legendary. There were tales of Rolls Royces won and lost at the gambling tables of Monte Carlo, of millions of pounds spent to maintain dozens of residences and hundreds of servants, of promiscuity and reckless, gilded bohemianism.” Moore writes, this was a time when modernity, independence and internationalism were swiftly replacing tradition, colonialism and provincialism. And thus these three Maharanis lived confused, sometimes deeply unhappy lives.” Right now, she spends her time between Jaipur and London. “I was born in London. Every summer, I like to spend my time there, as it gets very hot in Jaipur.” There's a certain charisma that makes a timeless beauty. She was listed by Vogue as one of the most beautiful women in the world, and her beauty was compared to the sensuality of Hollywood actresses. Figuring among the most-stylish and beautiful women in India, there's was something ageless and eternal about her. To that, she had said, “I really don't think so. Style comes naturally to me. I guess, you're just born with it. My mother has been my role model and icon. When I was young, I watched her dress. Ma was very fussy about her clothes. Did you know, she was the first person to start wearing saris made of chiffons. But her greatest passion was for shoes. She had hundreds of pairs and still went on ordering them from Ferragamo in Florence. She always knew the best place to buy anything and she shopped all over the world. I guess, I learnt about style from her. She taught me all about style. Life was more glamourous in the olden days, a lot has changed now.” It was her love for Maharaja of Jaipur, Jai that changed her life forever. In her memoirs, A Princess Remembers, she talks about how there was gossip as the news of a happy partnership between Jai and her got around. In fact, people warned her mother that life as a third Maharani would be tough. “Looking back, I see that those times were much more ahead than an ordinary approved courtship would have been. There was the challenge of outwitting our elders, of arranging secret meetings... And every now and again, there was a marvellous, unheard of liberty of going for a drive in the country with Jai, of a stolen dinner at Bray, or of an outing on the river in a boat. It was a lovely and intoxicating time.” In your private life, would she call herself an outgoing person or an introvert? “I like meeting my friends and going out with them. I guess, that means I'm not an introvert. I'm very normal. Of course, there are times when I'd rather be alone.” But she's been a woman of immense strength, role model to millions of Indian woman. “I'm flattered that you say so. I don't agree though. But I'd like to tell women of India that they must lead a full life. They must give their everything to life and be faithful to their families.” That's when we asked her the tricky question about her grandchildren Devraj and Lalitya's claim to her inheritance. “No comments.” Her silence is a mark of grace and dignity. In her memoirs, A Princess Remembers, Rajmata talks about how her son Jagat married Priya, the daughter of Prince Piya and Princess Vibhavati of Thailand. She writes: “We had a reception in London and the Queen of England and many friends attended it. A year later, Jagat and Priya had a daughter named Lalitya and two years later they had a son called Devraj. My time was spent not only in India and England but also in Thailand where I went often to visit Priya's family. Bangkok is a fascinating city. And I love my grandchildren.” Certainly, Maharani Gayatri Devi lived life to the full. With no regrets. There won't be another like her! In fact, Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur, Maharaj Bhawani Singh's daughter says, “She'll be an eternal legend. She was a great influence to the women of Jaipur. She was the first woman of substance and style of her generation. The world bowed to her beauty. Indeed, she was a people's Princess.” |
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/LIFE-STYLE/People/Ive-had-a-happy-life-with-no-regrets-Gayatri-Devi/articleshow/4834617.cms |
Queen's estate value falls to £322m
(UKPA) – Jul 22, 2009
The value of the Queen's private estate has fallen by almost a fifth due to the impact of the recession.
The Duchy of Lancaster - a portfolio of land, property and assets held in trust for the Sovereign - saw its value drop by £75 million to £322 million in the 2008-9 financial year.
But the income the Monarchy received from the Duchy, which is used to fund her public and private activities, increased by 5.4% from £12.6 million to £13.3 million.
Lord Shuttleworth, chairman of the Duchy's council, said in the report released on Tuesday: "We have suffered a substantial fall in the capital value of our assets during the year, principally in the commercial property and financial investment portfolios.
"Against that, we have achieved an increase in the net surplus, delivering £13.3 million to the Keeper of the Privy Purse. In the year ahead, it will be hard to maintain, let alone grow, the income, with slow take up for empty commercial space, and a heightened risk of tenant business failure."
The Privy Purse is the name given to income from the Duchy of Lancaster which invests its funds in four sectors: agricultural, residential, commercial and financial portfolios.
The commercial property sector makes up more than a third of the Duchy's investments and its value fell from £155 million in 2007-8 to £118 million in 2008-9.
The investments in the agricultural sector have weathered the financial downturn with the report stating there was a "minimal reduction" in their value.
Almost £15 million was taken out of the financial portfolio in a defensive move against uncertainty in the financial markets and to pay for property refurbishments and new buildings. But income from investments still fell from £5 million to £3.4 million.
During the last financial year, the total cost to the taxpayer of keeping the monarchy increased by £1.5 million to £41.5 million.
Amitabh shares fond memories of Gayatri Devi
Thursday, July 30, 2009, 17:51 [IST]
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan remembers Maharani Gayatri Devi, the Rajmata of Jaipur, who died at 90 on 29th July. He wrote in his blog that she was a picture of grace and beauty. He said that he had earlier sent her a bouquet of flowers and a get well card to the Hospital on learning about her health.
“As a young student in the Delhi University I used to sneak into the Jaipur Polo ground, next to the Air Force colony opposite the Gymkhana Club in Delhi, to watch some of the finest polo players of the country, riding majestically on thorough breds competing with some of the finest teams from overseas. The Maharaja of Jaipur, a great proponent of the game, would play there and accompanying him used to be his wife, the Rajmata Gayatri Devi, in her soft and pastel flowered chiffon’s, a picture of grace and beauty,” wrote Amitabh.
The Superstar described how he managed to meet the Rajmata. “Never in my born days had I ever imagined that one day I would get to meet this lady. But time and circumstances changed that.” He continued, “After joining the movies there were many visits to the pink city of Jaipur for shootings and that is when a formal introduction with the Rajmata took place. Of the many private palaces that belong to the Jaipurs, some have been converted into grand hotels and I have had the pleasure of staying in them and enjoyed their exquisite regal ambience. I was later asked by Gayatri Devi ji to inaugurate one of the functions at the girls school that she started, now a flourishing institution. Some years ago she had invited me to be the chief guest at a charity she promoted for the under privileged and cannot forget what a gracious host she was that evening.
“On another occasion she called me over for a private lunch at her Lily Pond residence, serving me personally with delicious vegetarian delicacies which she had so considerately asked her kitchen to prepare. She wrote a personal note to me a few years back to seek my involvement for another event that she was inaugurating, but time constraints kept me away. That was the last communication I had had with her, he wrote.
“Gayatri Devi documented her enchanted and eventful life in her autobiography; a fairy tale of this lovely Princess from Cooch Behar. May she rest in peace,” he concluded.
Tags: amitabh bachchan, maharani gayatri devi, raymond ronamai.
http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/news/2009/amitabh-remembers-gayatri-300709.html
Paying for the monarchy
Buck's fizz for the masses
Jul 30th 2009
From The Economist print edition
Why an open-door policy makes sense
AP  In better shape than their setting
TOURISTS jostled at the ambassadors’ entrance to Buckingham Palace this week, eager, even at £16.50 a head, to see the gilded state rooms opened to the public on July 26th for the summer. This is now an annual event, raising money to catalogue and restore the royal art collection and to maintain the palace itself.
It is not raising enough, it seems. The dresses on display from the queen’s official visits abroad are glamorous but their setting is tarnished. Scaffolding covers crumbling stonework; in 2007 falling masonry narrowly missed Princess Anne’s car. The boomerangs, totem poles and other gifts lavished on the queen during her tours distract only briefly from the 60-year-old electrical system. The palace needs complete re-wiring, re-plumbing, refurbishment and re-roofing, according to the keeper of the privy purse, Sir Alan Reid. And this is only part of a backlog at all four state residences that could run to £32m. Some buildings are worse off than Buckingham Palace. The Royal Mausoleum at Frogmore, where Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are buried, is so dilapidated that English Heritage, a preservation outfit, has it on its register of buildings at risk.
Who will foot the repair bill? The queen does not own these buildings personally, as she does Balmoral in Scotland, for example; they are where she carries out state business and part of the country’s heritage. The government pays for the upkeep of many national monuments, such as Stonehenge. In contrast, the Church of England bears the brunt of maintaining the likes of St Paul’s Cathedral (which charges adults £11 per visit). Where do palaces fit in?
The royal household has asked that the £15m annual grant for palace maintenance be increased by £4m, but the government has said no. Politicians are not keen to see a big rise in the cost of the monarchy, especially in these straitened times. They suggest opening Buckingham Palace for longer than the 60-odd days a year that its doors now stand wide, and using more of the money to fix its fabric.
Royal bean-counters reckon the cost might outweigh the likely income. Some point out that there is money in the exchequer that could be used: the taxpayer is not subsidising the monarchy but making a tidy profit from it. The queen, like her predecessors, gave up the Crown Estates’ income on her accession in return for money to run the royal show. Over the past ten years alone, the Treasury has received £1.3 billion more under this deal than it has paid out (see chart).
The best reason for opening the palace more often is simply to give the public, both domestic and foreign, better access to it. Overseas tourists commented this week that as a “living museum” it added hugely to Britain’s attraction as a destination (thus boosting the revenue of hotels, restaurants, public transport and indeed the taxman). And opening her house to her subjects binds the monarch to her people. In the 1700s Queen Caroline, the wife of George II, asked Sir Robert Walpole what the cost would be of limiting public access to a royal park. His answer was “only three crowns”—those of England, Scotland and Ireland. Food for thought today.
A fairy tale ends Return of the lonely native |
RAKHEE ROY TALUKDAR |
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Gayatri Devi’s grandson Devraj at the City Palace on Wednesday. (Surendra Jain Paras) |
Jaipur, July 29: For the past 45 years, Rajmata Gayatri Devi had been spending her summers in London, away from the scorching heat of Rajasthan. This year too she flew to the place of her birth where she usually stays from May to September. But unusually, the Rajmata yearned to return to her hometown sooner than in previous years.
On July 17, the 90-year-old was flown back in an air ambulance, costing Rs 15 lakh, as she was feeling lonely and wanted to be in Jaipur, her home for 70 years.
She was suffering from a stomach ailment and was admitted to Santokhba Durlabhji Hospital, where she was treated for intestine and gastric disorder. Discharged a few days ago, she was readmitted yesterday for chest infection.
“She had recovered from her gastrointestinal problems but yesterday she was detected with a lung infection. Her condition deteriorated this morning and she breathed her last around 1600 hours,” said Dr Subhash Kala of the hospital.
The city had lost its beloved “Queen Mother”. Bengal had lost a daughter — she was born in 1919 to Maharaja Jitendra Narayan and Maharani Indira Devi of the Koch dynasty of Cooch Behar. And India had lost one of its most glamorous, wealthy and progressive royals.
Gayatri Devi’s death came a day after another celebrated beauty of her time, Leela Naidu, died. Sometime in the sixties, fashion magazine Vogue had named the two as among the world’s 10 most beautiful women.
Gayatri Devi’s life was the stuff fairy tales are made of: a carefree childhood in the sprawling Cooch Behar palace; a panther kill when she was 12; trips with her mother to Europe; a secret six-year courtship with a dashing polo player whom she called Jai, but who happened to be the Maharaja of Jaipur, Sawai Mansingh II; her marriage and her entrance into the famed City Palace of Jaipur, where she had to adjust to unfamiliar customs and to life with the Maharaja’s two other wives.
The Jaipur royalty led a life of extravagance in keeping with their status of being among India’s wealthiest: summers on the Continent, hunting trips, children educated in the best schools of Europe, a stream of dignitaries calling on them.
But the Maharaja’s liberating influence, combined with Gayatri Devi’s own strong character, took her well beyond the traditionally limited activities of a Maharani.
She founded a school for girls, promoted the dying art of blue pottery and entered politics, where she achieved huge success. She joined the Swatantra Party, founded by C. Rajagopalachari, and won three successive Lok Sabha elections from Jaipur — in 1962, 1967 and 1971.
The 1962 win found her a place in the Guinness records for the highest percentage of votes polled for a candidate in a parliamentary election. Then US President John F. Kennedy even introduced her as “the woman with (the) most staggering majority that anyone has ever earned in an election”.
However, her opposition to the Congress earned her the wrath of Indira Gandhi, who, in 1971, withdrew the privy purse. The Rajmata even had to spend five months in Delhi’s Tihar Jail during Emergency, allegedly for flouting tax laws.
She retired from politics after that, but continued to work for social causes.
She often said Jaipur was transforming, but not for the better. In 2008, she protested on the pavement with slum dwellers against unauthorised constructions, which, she said, were ruining the city’s skyline.
She also complained about the rampant tree felling by the land mafia.
These public appearances notwithstanding, the Rajmata led a largely secluded life, ensconced in her spacious and beautiful residence, Lily Pool, on the Rambagh Palace estate. She owned a stud farm, liked riding and playing tennis and squash, and tending to her fleet of vintage cars — a Bentley being her favourite.
She had been living alone since her husband died in 1970 while playing polo. She lived apart from her stepson, the present Maharaja, Brigadier Bhawani Singh, and spent English summers coinciding with the racing season in London, where she owned properties in Ascot and a town house in Mayfair.
Her loneliness grew when her only son Jagat Singh, a gifted photographer who stayed mostly in Europe, passed away in 1997 in London. |
http://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14140745 |
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090730/jsp/nation/story_11299409.jspLeela Naidu defined 'face of India' to the world
29 Jul 2009, 0010 hrs IST, Vikram Doctor, ET Bureau
MUMBAI: Leela Naidu, who has just died in Mumbai at the age of 69, almost always had the title attached to her name: “once voted one of the 10 most
beautiful women in the world.” Many things about that title were unclear: whether it was Vogue, Time or some other magazine that did it, when it was done, or who were the other women on that list.
She also had much else in her life to talk about, from her really early marriage to Bikki Oberoi, her brief, but noted career as a film actress, from her first, award winning, role in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anuradha (1960), to early Merchant-Ivory films like The Householder (1963) and The Guru (1969), and her relatively unconventional role opposite Sunil Dutt in Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke (1963). Much later in life, she returned to film to star in Shyam Benegal’s Trikaal (1985) and Pradip Krishen’s Electric Moon (1992). There was also her divorce from Oberoi to marry the poet Dom Moraes, and the tempestuous relationship that resulted.
But always overriding that was that ‘most beautiful woman’ tag because it was so manifestly true. Even when old, Naidu had the sort of natural, serene beauty that simply seemed to exist without any effort. It wasn’t beauty that insistently grabbed your attention, but it would always draw your eye back to wonder and be refreshed.
It was also a beauty that for a while helped define the face of India to the outside world. Naidu was one of a group of beautiful Indian women who, from the Forties to the early Sixties, helped create an idea of a beautiful, elegant and accomplished new nation. This included Rani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur, the other name that people remember from that “10 most beautiful women” list and Nayantara Sahgal, the writer and Jawaharlal Nehru’s niece.
All these women shared a certain style. While unmistakably Indian and nearly always dressed in saris, there was also a Western air to them as well. They all had Western connections (Naidu’s mother was French) or had lived abroad (Gayatri Devi came from the relatively liberal Cooch Behar royal family, which had let her travel abroad at an early age, while Sahgal had been allowed to study in the US), and they presented themselves in a mix of Indian and European styles — saris and Indian jewellery, but worn with Western sophistication.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News-By-Industry/Media-Entertainment-/Leela-Naidu-defined-face-of-India-to-the-world/articleshow/4831768.cms
In English summer, basked India’s last real queen |
AMIT ROY |
London, July 29: The Maharani of Jaipur was close to the British royal family as was her late husband, Jai. She came to the British Museum on the evening of May 26 for the reception to mark the inauguration of an exhibition of paintings from the Mehrangarh Trust in Jodhpur.
The Maharaja of Jodhpur, Gaj Singh, was there with his wife, Hemlata Rajye. So was Prince Charles, with Camilla. Gayatri Devi was confined to a wheelchair but she still looked beautiful.
The summer invariably found her in London, probably the place where she felt most comfortable after her beloved Jaipur. She would light a diya if she was called upon to do so at an Indian function. She would say very little in public, especially if she was watching a polo match.
“Do you mind, I’m watching a polo match,” she cut short her hostess who was fluttering round her at a polo match, making sure all was well with the Rajmata.
She could be effortlessly haughty but those who got to know her appreciated this was just part of her character. After one polo game, she went round and talked to each of the players. Her interest was genuine, especially if Jaipur was involved.
“Give me your number, I’ll call you,” she would say to any journalist who expressed an interest in interviewing her.
She would. She would pick up the phone, dial the journalist and invite him round though she would usually add she did not have much to say that would be of interest.
Although she was the Rajmata of Jaipur, she always wanted to do more for her native Cooch Behar.
She could very clearly remember a time when she and her late husband, Jai, could consider themselves to be socially on a par with the senior members of the British royal family.
This inevitably meant most Indians could not be her “equal”, maybe not even Indira Gandhi who decided there could not be two queens in India.
But curiously, Gayatri Devi, who remained royal even without the titles, did not want to wallow in the past. She could never be persuaded to be nostalgic about the past or to express the desire for things to have remained the same.
British holidaymakers who went to Rambagh would often see her float across the perfectly manicured lawns of the palace but she did not see it as her duty to hobnob with package tourists.
Judging by the impression she left in London, a place she obviously loved, her death removes probably the last real queen of India. |
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090730/jsp/nation/story_11299946.jsp
Hearth misses a Rajmata who stepped out of fiction |
OUR CORRESPONDENT |
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Cooch Behar Palace |
Cooch Behar, July 29: Eighty-seven-year-old Amiya Kumar Deb Bakshi first heard about the demise of Gayatri Devi from news flashes this afternoon.
The octogenarian, who oversees all religious rituals on behalf of the Cooch Behar royal family, immediately called up Lily Pool, Gayatri Devi’s residence in Jaipur.
“We have a woman from here who used to look after her. She told me the Rajmata was no more. I could not believe what she was telling me,” Deb Bakshi said.
He recalled the weddings of all the three sisters, including that of Gayatri Devi. “My father was the person in charge in 1940 when the wedding (Gayatri Devi’s) took place. I was also witness to the rituals. Later, since I took over after my father passed away in 1958, I was in constant touch with her,” he said.
Deb Bakshi recalled a trip with Gayatri Devi to Varanasi in 1970, when he had gone to visit a temple owned by the Cooch Behar princess.
The shrine is now under a trust headed by the district magistrate of Cooch Behar.
In March 2006, the last time Gayatri Devi came to Cooch Behar, Deb Bakshi met her at the circuit house where she had put up.
“I remember her asking me about my health. I, too, enquired how she was doing. We spoke at length about the running of Madanmohanbati, her family’s temple here. She was interested in knowing how things were,” Deb Bakshi said.
Now, however, he lamented there wasn’t much he could do. “There is nothing much for me to do but to send a condolence message to her family in Jaipur,” he said.
Local historian Hiten Nag sat down to pen a few lines of condolence as soon as he heard about the death. “The Cooch Behar royals were unique in the sense that they were very forward-looking and thought about the welfare of the people. The passing away of Gayatri Devi is a great loss for the country,” Nag said.
People in general felt they had lost someone in whom they saw the “real princess”.
“We had known princesses only from story books, but in Gayatri Devi we had the chance to see a real Rajmata whenever she came here. Now we shall see her no more,” said Surendra Kumar Rathi, a local trader.
Cooch Behar district magistrate S. Mahapatra announced that all government offices and educational institutions would be closed tomorrow. A meeting will be held to chalk out a programme coinciding with the shradh ceremony of Gayatri Devi to be held in Jaipur. |
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090730/jsp/nation/story_11299898.jsp
Gayatri Devi: A maharani and a beautyRASHMEE ROSHAN LALL, TNN 30 July 2009, 01:00am IST
AIPUR: A maharani's death is always momentous but Gayatri Devi's may be specially so because she left behind a rich and detailed account of her
Rajmata Gayatri Devi. (TOI File Photo)
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life of blue-blooded privilege. Her memoirs, 'A Princess Remembers', burst upon a wondering world much before the modern blizzard of tell-all biographies.
The world of extraordinary wealth and access was there for Gayatri Devi from the very start. She lived with her parents in the swish part of London, close to Harrods, the world's most famous department store, which boasted it could get anything in the world for its customers.
Pictures of Rajmata Gayatri Devi
Though she was just the lisping four-year-old daughter of a prince of Cooch Behar, a small princely state compared to Jaipur, Baroda and Hyderabad, the young princess describes the courtly respect she received from the shop attendant. Soon enough, her shocked mother Indira Devi found that Gayatri’s daily forays into Harrods had left the family with a large bill.
That early extravagance was somehow in keeping with the life she was soon to lead, as wife and companion of the dashing and very rich Sawai Man Singh, known as Jai for Jaipur. The princess describes the subterfuge of their romance, mainly in London because her family disapproved of a man who already had two wives, the younger of whom was called Jo after her home state Jodhpur.
But Gayatri, who had fallen in love with Jai when she was in her early teens, remained undeterred. Eventually they married and Jai carried her into a world of unimaginable opulence. She adjusted to her new life — the hunting, polo, huge household bills and her relatively minor place in the maharani pecking order, given there were two Didis (Jai’s other wives) ahead of her. Looking back, she realized she got used to having a private plane from the age of 21.
Snatches from a shuttered life of privilege? Her grandmother told Gayatri the three etiquettes of a maharani — the most important among them was to "never wear emeralds with a green sari as I had because they look so much better with pink".
From that — to life as a commoner? Gayatri Devi adjusts to Indian independence and her reduced role. Jai becomes Rajpramukh of the new Rajasthan sate; she enters Parliament with the largest majority ever in a democratic election, something she proudly recalls JFK mentioning on his visit to Jaipur.
Gayatri Devi's memoirs were fashioned into a book by Santha Rama Rau, but sold in huge numbers and was reprinted over and over because of the woman who graced its cover — the maharani with perfectly chiselled features, lips like a perfect bow and a wistful, faraway gaze.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/India/Gayatri-Devi-A-maharani-and-a-beauty/articleshow/4834040.cms
Indian queen Gayatri Devi dies
 Gayatri Devi was one of the last queens of India |
One of the last queens of India, Gayatri Devi, once described as one of the most beautiful women in the world, has died at the age of 90.
She was hospitalised about 10 days ago with stomach and respiratory problems in Jaipur before dying on Wednesday.
Born into a royal family, she became the third wife of Sawai Man Singh, the Maharajah of Jaipur, in 1939.
The fashion icon broke with tradition by winning election to parliament in 1962. She was re-elected twice.
She supported education for women, and founded a prestigious school in Jaipur, now the capital of Rajasthan state.
Jail
Gayatri Devi was born into the royal family of Cooch Behar in 1919.
In an interview with The Times of India, she recalled as a young girl going out hunting, sitting on the neck of an elephant.
She became the third Maharani of Jaipur in 1939, marrying into a lavish lifestyle.
The family, in effect, ruled the city of Jaipur and the surrounding area in the western Indian desert kingdom.
They spent the summers in Europe and educated their children at elite schools in England.
 Gayatri Devi and her husband spent the summers in Europe |
Gayatri Devi loved tennis and polo, and was a talented horse rider, while her taste in saris and jewellery, inherited from her mother, made her a glamorous fashion icon.
Vogue magazine once listed her among the "World's Ten Most Beautiful Women".
During the 1970s, the then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi abolished the last royal privileges, and Gayatri Devi was jailed for five months for violating tax laws.
In later life, Gayatri Devi became known affectionately as Rajmata, or Queen Mother, still greatly admired for her natural grace and beauty.
She is survived by two grandchildren.
SEE ALSO
FROM OTHER NEWS SITES Washington Post Gayatri Devi, 90; Glamorous Indian Princess, Lawmaker - 6 hrs ago The Hindu Former Maharani of Jaipur Gayatri Devi dies - 16 hrs ago ABC News Former Indian Royal Gayatri Devi Dies - 18 hrs ago Mail Online UK Gayatri Devi, former queen of Jaipur, dies at 90 - 21 hrs ago 
 | News feeds
Most popular now, in detailhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8175421.stm
Gayatri Devi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gayatri Devi |
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Gayatri Devi with Jackie Kennedy |
Rajmata of Jaipur |
Tenure |
1939 - 1970 |
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Issue |
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Prince Jagat Singh |
Father |
Prince Jitendra Narayan |
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Mother |
Princess Indira Raje |
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Born |
23 May 1920(1920-05-23)
London [1] |
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Died |
July 29, 2009 (aged 89)
Jaipur |
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Gayatri Devi (23 May 1920 - 29 July 2009), often styled as Maharani Gayatri Devi, Rajmata of Jaipur, was born as Princess Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar. She was the third Maharani of Jaipur from 1939 to 1970 through her marriage to HH Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II. The royal titles and the accompanying privy purses were technically abolished through a constitutional amendment in 1971. Following India's independence and the subsequent abolition of the princely states, she became an extremely successful politician. Gayatri Devi was also celebrated for her classical beauty and became something of a fashion icon in her adulthood. She died on July 29, 2009 in Jaipur, at the age of 90. She was suffering from paralytic ileus.
[edit] Early lifeHer father, Prince Jitendra Narayan of Cooch Behar, was the younger brother of the Yuvraja (Crown Prince). Her mother was Princess Indira Raje of Baroda, the only daughter of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, an extremely beautiful princess and a legendary socialite. Early in her life, her uncle's death led to her father ascending the throne (gaddi). Gayatri Devi studied at Shantiniketan [2], and later in Lausanne, Switzerland, where she travelled with her mother and siblings, then studied secretarial skills in London School of Secretaries; Brilliantmont and Monkey Club London [1]. She married HH Saramad-i-Rajahai Hindustan Raj Rajendra Sri Maharajadhiraj Sir Sawai Man Singh II Bahadur[3] on 9 May 1940 [4] Maharani Gayatri Devi (as she was styled after marriage) was a particularly avid equestrienne. Gayatri Devi had one child, Prince Jagat Singh of Jaipur, ex-Raja of Isarda, born on 15 October 1949 [4], who was granted his grandfather's fief as a subsidiary title, and Gayatri Devi was called the Rajmata or Queen Mother. Jagat Singh was thus half-brother to Bhawani Singh of Jaipur. Gayatri Devi was once included in Vogue magazine's Ten Most Beautiful Women list.[5] Gayatri Devi started schools for girls' education in Jaipur, most prominent of which is the Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls’ Public School. She also promoted the dying art of blue pottery.
[edit] Political careerAfter Partition and Independence Day in India in 1947, and later the abolition of royal privileges and privy purses in 1971, Gayatri Devi ran for Parliament in 1962 and won the constituency in the Lok Sabha in the world's largest landslide, winning 192,909 votes out of 246,516 cast [6], confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records. She continued to hold this seat on 1967 and 1971, Swatantra Party of C. Rajagopalachari, the second Governor-General of Independent India [2], running against the Congress Party. When the privy purses were abolished in 1971, terminating all royal privileges and titles, Gayatri Devi was accused of violating tax laws, and served 5 months in Tihar Jail. She retired from politics and published her autobiography, A Princess Remembers, written with Santha Rama Rau, in 1976. She was also the focus of the film Memoirs of a Hindu Princess, directed by Francois Levie. There were rumors that she might re-enter politics as late as 1999, when the Cooch Behar Trinamool Congress nominated her as their candidate for the Lok Sabha elections, but she did not respond to the offer.[7] Her father Jitendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur was the second son of Maharaja Nripendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur and Maharani Sunity Devi of Cooch Behar. After the untimely death of his elder brother Maharaja Raj Rajendra Narayan Bhup Bahadur, a bachelor, he ascended the throne of Cooch Behar in November 1913, few month's after his marriage with Princess Indira raje Gaekwad of Baroda. Maharani Sunity Devi was the daughter of illustrious Brahmo social reformer Keshab Chandra Sen.
[edit] Family relationshipsGayatri Devi was related to several other erstwhile royal families in India, and not only the Rajput royals. Her maternal grandparents were Maharaja Sayajirao and Maharani Chimnabai of Baroda. Through marriage, she was related to Maharaja Hanuwant Singh of Jodhpur, the Maharaja of Dewas, the Maharaja of Tripura, and the Maharaja of Pithapuram in Andhra Pradesh. She had one son, Maharaj Jagat Singh of Jaipur (erstwhile Raja of Isarda), and two grandchildren, Lalitaya Kumari and Devraj Singh. She is also indirectly related to the former royal families of Lunawada and Baria.
She developed gastric problems in London and was admitted to a hospital there.She was being treated for gastric disorder at the King Edward’s Hospital in London and had expressed her desire to return to Jaipur as she felt lonely in London. Gayatri Devi was flown in an air ambulance to Jaipur. She was admitted at Santokba Durlabhji Memorial Hospital (SDMH) on July 17. Dr. S C Kala, who was attending on her, said she was suffering from paralytic ileus. This is a condition when one’s intestines don’t move. She was kept in the ICU. There was a polypoid growth in her colon. Her death came a day after the passing away of actress Leela Naidu, both of whom were named by Vogue as amongst the 10 most beautiful women in the world. Maharani Gayatri Devi died on 29 July 2009 at the age of 90. [8][9]
[edit] Further reading
- A Princess Remembers: The Memoirs of the Maharani of Jaipur, by Gayatri Devi. South Asia Books, 1996. ISBN 8171673074.
- Rajmata Gayatri Devi, by Dharmendar Kanwar. Roli Books, 2004. ISBN 8174362940.
- Gourmet's Gateway: A Royal Collection, by Gayatri Devi, Dharmendar Kanwar. Published by Dharmendar Kanwar, 1999. ISBN 819012210X.
[edit] External links
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